It has long been desired, in fishing circles, to have means which may be fastened to or associated with a fishing rod which will indicate clearly and unequivocally when the bait or the bait and the bait hook have been taken, seized, pulled upon or gripped in some way by a fish. The point of view here is that a fisherman/woman does not always want to hold and monitor the fishing rod nor devote all his/her attention to the fishing act. Yet further, one fishing person may want to employ a plurality of rods and reels mounted with respect to a shoreline, a boat or other location from which fishing may be undertaken.
Accordingly, the prior art has provided and developed many types of rod carried fishing alarms which will alert the fisher with respect to activity at the bait/hook if the activity is of sufficient energy. A number of these devices have mechanically linked the fishing line itself with an alarm or signal box where a pull on the line activates the signal in the box. Among the patents in the Prior Art section of this Application, there are seen a number of these devices.
What is desired in the subject device is a container holding a fishing line signal circuit and mechanism which may be easily installed on various types and sizes of fishing rods and adapted for use with various types of fishing line reels. The signalling device must receive and engage the fishing line in a manner that the fishing line will be pulled out of the signalling device when a fish strikes the hook or takes the bait for actuating the signalling device. The fishing line is not employed or engaged with the signalling mechanism during the throwing of the hook/bait into the water, nor is it used in recovering the fishing line from its paid out position in the water and bringing the hook/bait back to the outer end of the rod. The device with the signal, in use, may be used when trolling, still water fishing, night fishing, ice fishing, fresh water fishing or salt water fishing, enabling a person to fish with more than one rod at a time.
When it is desired to use the rod, reel, line, bait, lure, etc., in a casting and recovering operation, the line is maintained clear of and free of the engaging mechanism in the container or shell which has the alarm system in it.
Known alarm devices often have limitations in construction or in use. Many are excessively bulky, relatively complex and expensive. Others are restricted in application and relatively ineffective in use. In some, the triggering of the alarm can cause abrasion of the fishing line and deactivation of the alarm can be cumbersome.
Many anglers dislike concentrating at all times on the rod(s) and line(s) in the fishing process. They may wish to relax amid the outdoors and peaceful surroundings. Periodically, any fisherman finds it desirable to leave his line(s) not directly attended, for example, to obtain something to eat, to use sanitary facilities, to speak to another angler, etc. Under many conditions, one fisherman may be permitted to be using more than one line. When a fish presents itself, means on any fishing rod which is not closely attended are needed to call the attention of the angler to the fact that a fish has taken the bait thus to avoid loss of the fish.
This device is capable of giving warning automatically, when a load in excess of a predetermined magnitude is applied to the fishing line, indicating that a fish has taken the bait or hook. Accordingly, this is fish bite detector device for use with a fishing rod carrying a fishing line wherein a pair of of relatively movable, but spring loaded towards one another, nipper elements are provided. The device is so arranged that a part of the fishing line near the reel may be removably located between the nipper elements and releasably gripped thereby. An electrical energizing circuit is arranged to be closed in response to relative movement of the nipper elements into contact with each other upon removal of a fishing line from therebetween.